Is this really happening?

If you're looking for something from me, go to jbannister.blogspot.com.

Yeah, I haven't signed in here in like a year or so.

Thinking back to 2005 in my life after that stupid ball dropped from high above Times Square, I realized good things actually did happen in my life this year.

First, and foremost, I got to see my dad twice this year. I went down in July to see him and he was cleared to fly up for Thanksgiving week to spend time with us and eat Thanksgiving dinner with me and my sister for the first time since I was four-years-old. ... On a more professional level, I got to write a column for an entire month as Jen Toland was busy covering the Pats in the Super Bowl, I covered the Worcester Tornadoes, I covered the MASCAC Baseball Championship. I am sure there were a bunch of other things, but none off the top of my head. ... I got to fly down, safely, to Florida to visit my brother and my uncle and dad. ... My sister gave birth to a very beautiful and very healthy baby boy, Caleb Aiden Malavez, on April 21. ... My cousin and her husband came from Spain in February to celebrate their honeymoon here with my mom, my sister and myself. While here, I took them to a Worcester IceCats and a Boston Celtics game, good times. She had a baby on Dec. 31, a baby girl. ... I have a great family, though they can be crazy and downright insufferable at times. I have a good core of friends around me that really do love and care for me. ... Outside of lack of power, none of my family members were directly affected by Hurricanes this busy season. ... Megan avoided Hurricane Katrina, though her car may not have survived it, and made it home safely to attend UMass for a semester. ... After deliberations, Michelle and I moved in together. Still living together and going strong.

Looking forward to 2006, I usually don't do resolutions, but this year I decided it was a go. I will be dressing the part. I am sick of wearing jeans and t-shirts or shorts and t-shirts to work. I will be dressing the part. ... Michelle and I are signing up at a gym. We've both decided it's time to shape up.

For now, that's it. I am sure more things will come. As they do, I will handle it. For now, Happy New Year to you.

1. Who did you last get angry with?
myself

2. What is your weapon of choice?:
if I had one, AIDS

3. Would you hit a member of the opposite sex?
only if they really, really deserved it

4. How about of the same sex?:
Without a doubt

5. Who was the last person who got really angry at you?
my sister

6. What is your pet peeve?:
ignorance

7. Do you keep grudges, or can you let them go easily?
Once you're on my shitlist, good luck getting off.

SLOTH

1. What is one thing you're supposed to do daily that you haven't done in a long time?:
I do a lot of things daily, most of which you have to do daily

2. What is the latest you've ever woken up?:
4:30 p.m., January 21 -- after spending the whole night in the hospital with my sister, I went home at about 7 a.m. and was knocked out

3. Name a person you've been meaning to contact, but havent?:
dad

4. What is the last lame excuse you made?:
no clue

5. Have you ever watched an infomercial all the way through?
no

6. When was the last time you got a good workout in?:
whew, let me count the days

7. How many times did you hit the snooze button on your alarm clock today?:
didn't set an alarm

GLUTTONY

1. What is your overpriced yuppie beverage of choice?:
White Chocolate Mocha Frappucinno

2. Meat eaters: white meat or dark meat?:
Chicken and Turkey I only go for white meat

3. What is the greatest amount of alcohol you've had in one sitting/outing/event?:
half bottle of Jack Daniels

4. Have you ever used a professional diet company?:
no

5. Do you have an issue with your weight?:
yeah

6. Do you prefer sweets, salty foods, or spicy foods?:
all of the above

7. Have you ever looked at a small house pet or child and thought, "lunch"?
lol, no

LUST

1. How many people have you seen naked (not counting movies/family)?:
8 or 9

2. How many people have seen YOU naked (not counting physicians/family)?:
8 or 9

3. Have you ever caught yourself staring at the chest/crotch of a member of your gender of choice during a normal conversation?:
yes

4. Have you had sex?:
yes

5. What is your favorite body part on a person of your gender of choice?:
eyes

6. Have you ever been propositioned by a prostitute?:
lmfao, yes

7. Have you ever gotten tested for an STD or pregnancy?
yes

GREED

1. How many credit cards do you own?:
0

2. What's your guilty pleasure store?:
Express, or Banana Republic

3. If you had $1 million, what would you do with it?
don't know

4. Would you rather be rich, or famous?:
Rich, I hate people so I couldn't be famous with them always around me bugging me for an autograph or something

5. Would you accept a boring job if it meant you would make megabucks?:
yes

6. Have you ever stolen anything?:
when I was younger, yes

7. How many MP3s are on your hard drive?:
close to 1,000

PRIDE

1. What one thing have you done that you're most proud of?:
Helped a friend from committing suicide

2. What's one thing have you done that your parents are most proud of?
The job I have now

3. What thing would you like to accomplish later in your life?:
better job, more happiness in my life

4. Do you get annoyed by coming in second place?:
Always

5. Have you ever entered a contest of skill, knowing you were of much higher skill than the other competitors?
yes

6. Have you ever cheated on something to get a higher score?:
like a test? no. A video game, yes.

7. What did you do today that you're proud of?:
I helped Tina move

ENVY

1. What item (or person) of your friends would you most want to have for your own?:
the will to do shit for myself

2. Who would you want to go on "trading spaces" with?
What is trading spaces?

3. If you could be anyone else in the world, who would you be?
nobody, I only want to be myself

4. Have you ever been cheated on?:
Yes

5. Have you ever wished you had a physical feature different from your own?:
smaller stomach

6. What inborn trait do you see in others that you wish you had for yourself?:
hmm

7. Do you wish you'd come up with this survey?:
no

8. Finally,what is your favorite deadly sin?:
Sloth

According to Webster’s New World College Dictionary, accountability is the noun form of the adjective accountable, which is defined as obliged to account for one’s acts; responsible.

The world has been lacking accountability lately. From politics to Major League Baseball, accountability has gone missing in action.

We’ll start with Major League Baseball and the steroids scandal. Yes, the steroids scandal is overly talked about, but it’s a legitimate starting point.

Back in February, before Spring Training started, Jason Giambi of the New York Yankees called a press conference regarding illegal actions he may or may not have taken. In front of dozens of reporters Giambi apologized. He didn’t, however, say what he was apologizing for, though some – like myself – have speculated it was an apology for him using steroids. Nobody, though, can ever truly know what he was apologizing for. That’s all he said at his press conference was that he was sorry. Now, I was thinking to myself, “Yeah, I know you’re sorry (as a person), but what are you apologizing for?” That question would never be answered that day, nor has it been answered to this day. It’s no coincidence, though, that Giambi was visibly skinnier than he was last year.

Rafael Palmeiro of the Baltimore Orioles tested positive for steroid use after the MLB All-Star break and was suspended the mandatory 10 games. Of course, dealing with the media immediately after was a disaster, especially when the Orioles came to Boston to face the Red Sox. When confronted about the situation, Palmeiro dropped names like he had just won an academy award, most notably his teammate, Miguel Tejada. Palmeiro went in front of Congress and testified that he had never taken steroids, or never would for that matter. Just a short time after, he was suspended for using. Should legal action have been taken against him for perjury, I don’t know. But I do know that he had to be a man and say, “Yes, I took steroids, and I am sorry. That’s all I have to say.” It’s that easy. Why drag anyone else into your mess, particularly if they’ve already been tested and the test came back negative, as was the case with Tejada.

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin and Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco also have a problem with accountability. When Hurricane Katrina hit the New Orleans and surrounding Gulf Coast areas, and were quick to blame President George W. Bush and the Federal Emergency Management Agency or FEMA.

Sure, it took FEMA four days to respond to the hurricane, but the city of New Orleans shouldn’t have been in that much trouble to being with. If you look closer at the situation, the people really to blame are Nagin and Blanco. The most important thing to remember€ is the situation with the levees. The levees that were in place in New Orleans weren’t capable of withstanding any hurricane that went through the area above a Category 3 (winds between 111-130 mph). Hurricane Katrina was a Category 4 when it hit land, bringing with it storm surges of 10-30 feet, an excess amount of flooding and winds between 145 mph and higher.

Having the knowledge that the levees couldn’t hold up, why didn’t Mayor Nagin do a better job of evacuating the people in the notoriously poorer neighborhoods. Look, I know you can’t get everyone to leave, my dad chose to stay when most of Miami evacuated in 1992 when Hurricane Andrew – a Category 5 hurricane – hit, but you have to get at least most of the people out. While there were a lot of citizens which did evacuate New Orleans, there were far too many who where left behind, far too may which were crammed into the Superdome and the Civic Center, and far too many people to fend for themselves in the aftermath with no presence of authority.

The fact that there were news crews in New Orleans quicker than FEMA, or even the President, bothers me beyond belief and it should bother others as well. FEMA should have never taken that long to send support, particularly troops to let the people who were left behind know that some sort of authority is there. It should have never reverted to Marshall Law.

The city, though, wasn’t prepared for something like that. People can make the argument of the region not seeing a hurricane of that magnitude since 1969, but the bottom line is safety. If you know that your levees haven’t been capable of withstanding any hurricane above a Category 3 since 1969 when they were replaced and reinforced after Category 5 Hurricane Camille, then that’s just sheer laziness or lack of care. Some argue it’s lack of funding because of the budget cuts on FEMA and there’s nobody to blame but President Bush for that. You can’t count on federal grants for everything. Some things you have to take into your own hands, especially something that important.

People need to start taking blame for things they screw up. Mayor Nagin, Gov. Blanco shame on you for not taking care of your people, and not taking care of your state, shame on the both of you for not taking the responsibility for such a poor job during evacuation, particularly in New Orleans.

Palmeiro should be imprisoned for perjury, after all, a regular citizen would have been in that situation and he should try to just focus on the mess he has made, instead of looking for scapegoats.

Giambi should just come out with it and say it. Don’t tip-toe around the situation. After all, it is why you called the press conference, wasn’t it?

And, finally, to everyone else out there, I suggest you heed this advice: If you’re looking for someone to blame, don’t even think about it; just own up to your mistake. People will look at you as a grown-up and start treating you with more respect because of it. Trust me.

Everyone loves college football. And everyone loves college basketball – especially during March Madness. So, if those two sports are embraced fully by the American public, why hasn’t college baseball been embraced by America?

Sure, people can make the argument of the aluminum bat. They say that it dilutes the game.

Well, college football has a smaller ball, has a different rule on the spot of the ball for pass interference (in college, PI is just a 15-yard penalty, and in the NFL it’s a penalty in which the team gets a first down at the spot of the foul), and don’t even get me started on the player down rule (in college a player is considered down when a knee touches the ground and the play is whistled dead – even if there is nobody near him – whereas in the NFL a player is down when he is lying on the ground and someone from the opposing team touches him).

In college basketball, the 3-point line is five feet closer than in the NBA. OK, so college basketball doesn’t have much that dilutes the game, but it’s still a big thing.

Major newspapers around the country have a college columnist which usually covers college football and writes a column on college football. At the Telegram & Gazette in Worcester, Jennifer Toland is the college beat writer. She has a notes column that gets published every Wednesday, and she writes a college football column that gets published every Friday along with her picks for the weekend.

Other papers have the same deal with their college beat writers.

So, why is it when Spring comes along, that papers forget about baseball.

Sure, you have papers in Florida, Texas and California that have columnists for their local hot-shot teams that are the schools’ beat writer from “Spring Training” in January all the way through the conclusion of the College World Series (sometime in mid-June), but most other papers don’t care about the sport.

The Boston Globe rarely, if ever, mention baseball unless it is time for the CWS. Maybe it’s because that the Northeast rarely ever has a team that is a threat in baseball. But, what about those college baseball fans (like myself) that love reading columns, particularly on college baseball? What about them?

They could go online and read from their favorite teams’ website, but that’s only going to get them a one-sided view. You could read Baseball America online, but that usually give you a look at the top 5 times in the nation.

You could make an argument that many papers, including the ones here in the Northeast, don’t write about college baseball because readers want the coverage of the pro teams instead.

Well, here in the Northeast you don’t have much of a choice to read about college baseball. Boston College is going to absolutely flop in the ACC this year. They couldn’t even win the Big East last year. St. John’s took the Big East title and was quickly disposed of in Regional play.

Why would the Boston Globe want to cover a college team that can’t even win its own conference?

Well, it covers Boston College football, basketball and hockey. BC hockey, however, is a perennial powerhouse in Division 1 hockey and is always a top three favorite to win the Hockey East title.

I wrote two columns for fun on my blog. I don’t know if people have read them or not, but I loved writing them.

I plan on writing a column a week next season, sometimes two columns a week depending on the time that I have, and try to focus on more than just the Top 25. I plan on writing a column about the major conferences, starting with the one I know the most, the ACC. That would be followed by a column on the Big XII, followed by a column on the SEC. After that, it’s a crapshoot.

But, enough about me.

Electronic Arts Sports Canada, yes we are talking video games now, has finally used the MVP Baseball engine and adapted it for college baseball. The game is going to be called MVP NCAA Baseball 06 and will be released in the Spring of 2006. According to the press release on easports.com: “Electronic Arts announced today that MVP™ 06 NCAA® Baseball is in development and scheduled for release in spring 2006 under the EA SPORTS™ brand. This new version of the best-selling and critically acclaimed MVP Baseball™ franchise is being produced by Electronic Arts Canada in Vancouver, B.C., and will celebrate everything that makes NCAA® baseball unique -- aluminum bats, intense action, and stadiums filled with school spirit and packed with passionate fans.”

Hopefully this will bring more people into the excitement of college baseball, including some of the editors at the major newspapers.

I am going to go out on a limb, though, and say that this is probably the most attention college baseball is going to get next season. Some people, mainly video game enthusiasts, might get more involved with following college baseball, but I don’t see many doing so.

The truth of the matter is people don’t like straying from the norm. They have rooted during college football and college basketball, but why watch a game with aluminum bats when they can watch a pro baseball game – with wooden bats – that could be more exciting.

In fact, that might be totally the opposite. A college baseball game can change with a swing of the bat more often than it could during a pro baseball game. Just look at what has happened over the years in Regional, Super Regional and CWS play.

Fans aren’t there because they paid $77 for a ticket to watch their favorite team. They’re there because they have a ticket package to follow their schools’ team or their alma mater. They show up to the park with school colors and go home hoarse from cheering too loud for too long. Never, though, do they complain about it.

I commend you, EA Sports, for finally making a video game for a sport that is so underappreciated. I also thank the NCAA licensing commission for allowing EA Sports to create the game. Kudos to the both of you. You have a new fan in this writer.

What is wrong with the local news stations nowadays?


It seems like ever since the inception of the cable news channels (CNN, Fox News Channel, etc.) they feel the need to top them with the "grossest story of the night." Maybe not, though. Maybe it's just the fact that the only thing that happens in this world is terrible.


On msn.com, the top four headlines as of 11:40 tonight were Hurrican Ophelia watch, Two Airlines File For Bankruptcy, Katrina Death Toll Climbs, and Baghdad Attacks Kill Scores. Isn't there anything good that happened in the world? Anything at all?


Well, there is one thing. Bush's approval rating has been plummeting since Hurricane Katrina.


While watching "Real Time with Bill Maher" I heard some good points by Maher: In 2004, Washington was quick to react to the two hurricanes that hit Florida because it was an election year. That, and the fact that Jeb Bush is his brother. I originally had quotes around that but it's not a direct quote, just some paraphrasing.


But, enough about politics. I feel like I've written way too much about them recently. I am no political expert, nor do I pretend to be. So I will shut up now and leave the professional stuff to Lewis Black, Dennis Miller, Bill Maher and Jon Stewart.


Let's touch on some other things. Some people think that these hurricanes are due to Global Warming. How about just an overactive tropics? How about that? Way back in March, the National Weather Center hurricane experts predicted an overactive hurricane season. I don't recall ever hearing the words "because of global warming" after that prediction. Listen, the temperature has only risen 1.8 degrees over the past 50 or so years. That's not that much. To blame Global Warming for Katrina intensifying over the Gulf of Mexico is ridiculous, plain and simple.


Onto stuff that isn't that important.


The new Korn single, "Twisted Transistor," is out. I honestly don't know how to feel about it. It's got a Nine Inch Nails feel to it and I don't like the lyrics at all. They probably should have released "Hyprocrites" as the first single from the new as of yet untitled album.


Don't even get me started on the new record deal with EMI. According to blabbermouth.net, EMI is getting 30% of all of Korn's touring, publishing, album sales and everything else. In return, Korn gets a $15 million advance. Bands nowadays get a maximum of $7.5 million at most, but then again record labels never get a cut of touring and publishing.


Ugh. I don't even have the motivation to write anymore. Whatever.

How quickly some people forget about a tragedy of this magnitude.

Maybe Hurricane Katrina had something to do with it, I don't know.

I know I still remember September 11, and it hurts. It hurts deep down inside.

Those people will never have their loved one's back. Houses, cars, possessions come and go. You only get one chance to interact and love people. As Jacoby Shaddox from Papa Roach says, "Fuck your money, fuck your possessions, fuck your obsessions ..."

Don't get me wrong. I am not saying that what happened to Hurricane Katrina means nothing to me, because it does. Someone I love and her family was affected by it directly. That's never good.

Put this under your hat: It took the president seven minutes to react to what was told to him about the attacks on September 11, 2001. Seven minutes. Fast forward four years and nothing has changes. The president -- and yes, I am blaming the president for what the government did, and why not, he runs the thing -- took five days to react to the devastation in the gulf coast. Five days.

This is the guy people voted back into office?

Congratulations, America. An incompetent fool is at the helm, thanks to you.

To Fitzy and everyone else who lost their lives prematurely during the September 11 attacks, we love you and miss you dearly.

To those who have been devasted by Hurricane Katrina, keep your head up. Things can only go up from here.

And, I'm spent.

A - age: 22
B - band: Korn
C - crush: not applicable
D - Dad's name: Fernando
E - easiest person to talk to: Joe
F - favorite band at the moment: Staind
G - gummy bears or gummy worms: worms
H - hometown: Worcester, MA
I - instruments: drums.
K - kids: none yet
L - longest car ride ever: Worcester to Quebec
M - Mom's name: Rosa
N - number of siblings: two - Chris and Laura
O - one wish: complete happiness for everyone in my life
P - phobia[s]: heights, but I love roller coasters -- go figure; failure
Q - favorite quote: "No, really, fuck you." -- Jonathan Davis
R - reason to smile: I'm healthy and I've got great friends and family
S - song you sang last: "Schizophrenic Conversations" by Staind
T - time you wake up: 9:30am
U - unknown fact about me: I like to spend a lot of time with myself.
V - vegetable you hate: Beets
W - worst habit(s) you've had: where do I begin
X - x-rays you've had: right wrist, right knee, right thumb, left ankle
Y - Yummy food: Thai
Z - zodiac sign: Libra

I had to dust this thing off before I started writing in it again. Funny thing is, this is on the fucking INTERNET. WOWSERS!

"You're the oldest 22-year-old I know," Dave Nordman told me.

Now I know what he means. This past Sunday night/Monday morning an old teammate of mine from North, Mike Crossman, passed away in his sleep. The coroner's report said Cardiac Arrest, but isn't that just a nice way of putting the real cause of death? To me it is. I don't know about anyone else.

Within 10 years of my life, I have lost two baseball teammates. Andrew Avedesian, when I was 12, died of Leukemia just weeks after we won the Joe Schwartz Triple A Little League Championship.

I mean, really, is this fair. Two people which certainly deserve to be alive over me. But, no, they're not. Who determines all of this? Or is it really predetermined? I want an answer. ... Well. ... Anyone? ... Nobody can tell me? Well, this is just great. Why isn't it me that is gone and they are the ones that are still here?

I went to Mike's wake tonight and it was weird. People that haven't talked to each other in years are together in one area. Some hugging, some talking. All of them, though, know that the only reason that they are connected is because of this tragic event. It's funny how that happens.

My brain is shutting down from fatigue and heat. I can't write coherently for much longer.

Tomorrow morning, well in about 9 hours, is Mike's funeral. I will be there.

Mike, brother, I love you. You will forever be remembered in my heart.

[01] Reply with your name and I will write something about you.
[02] I will then tell you what song/BAND reminds me of you.
[03] Next, I will tell you who you remind me of, celebrity/animated or otherwise.
[04] Last, I will try to name a single word that best describes you.
[05] Put this in your journal.

Okay, so either the Tulane Baseball SID is a female, or its a male which gives really good head.

That's the only way to explain how the Green Wave was atop the Baseball America poll for three weeks before Monday.

They aren't a No. 1 team. Do they belong in the Baseball America Top 25, yes. Just not at No. 1. They are -- at the very least -- a 13-16 seed. Easily.

If you look at the team this year, its basically the same team as last year.

The result last year, they got swept in the Super Regional.

Sure you could argue that making the Super Regional they have to be good, right?

Maybe.

If you are on a hot streak and pull off 2 of 3 games in your regional and regional final, then you deserve a Super Regional spot. But to get man-handled in the super-regional like they did -- and yes I watched their games, they were on ESPN2 -- they didn't deserve the No. 4 spot in the Nation in the preseason poll.

Trust me.

Now, however, after getting smoked by Cal State Fullerton they are dropped down to No. 3 and Cal State Fullerton is ranked second.

Not only did Cal State Fullerton handed it to Tulane, they did it on the Green Wave's home turf. And because of that, they drop two places.

This is a travesty.

Earlier in the sesaon, the Miami Hurricanes, a first-year member of the ACC this season (people need constant reminding of that) got beat by Florida in two of three games on their home turf and were dropped from fourth to ninth.

NINTH.

This is mind-boggling.

The Hurricanes are penalized that harshly by losing two close games at home to perennial power-house Florida, yet Tulane -- a team that will be lucky to make the Super Regionals this year -- is only dropped two spots.

Kiss my dick.

Oh well.

Texas is a true No. 1. Finally Baseball America has someone in the right spot.

My Hurricanes are No. 7, despite their 4-0 week. Hell, they are 17-4. They've lost by a combined 11 runs with their worst loss being N.C. State (11-5).

Miami, though, has bounced back by winning six in a row, including a 13-6 win over N.C. State after its 11-5 loss to them.

A warning before you read on: You may be offended. You've been warned. Don't bitch about being offended afterwards. This is your chance to look away. If you choose to ignore that chance, oh well that's your fault.

Now I don't want to get off on a rant here, but what gives with Black Entertainment Television (BET)?

Never in a million years will someone be allowed to create White Entertainment Television.

Now, some can argure that CMTV is the equivalence, but let's face it, if there were a black country singer, he would appear on CMTV. Not so with BET and white rappers.

And I am not talking about Eminem, or, dare I say, Bubba Sparxx or Fat Joe, those are mainstream rappers.

Nine times out of 10 when I turn on BET the most I get is underground/indie rap videos. If there really is such a thing as Indie Rap.

I saw a video the other night that blew my mind away. It was for a rap song and the song was talking about being in the hood, yet there were hundreds (no I am not exaggerating) of scantily clad women dancing very dirty to the music.

The concept was well beyond me. Not that many music video's these days have a concept that's related to the song. Hell, for that you could just look at the video for Korn's "Word Up." Makes no fucking sense whatsoever.

And yet, I digress.

BET has this show called "College Hill." Its concept is like a soap opera mixed with the Real World only with a college setting, hence the title, "College Hill."

While tuning into the show, you will not see a single white person. Hell, you won't even get a white person in a commercial during the show's time slot.

How is this allowed?

If MTV were to do the Real World and say, "Nope, we can't have a black person. This season it's an all white cast," people in the black community, the ACLU and any other human rights organization would be outraged.

However, because its on BET, it's okay.

Again, I ask, how is this allowed?

Granted, I don't think there are many white people that are upset with any of this. Nor do I think that there are many white people disappointed because they can't get on the show. Even so, its the principle of the thought.

How can BET and its owners get away with things like that?

It boggles my mind.

I was wathing a glimpse of College Hill while discussing with my roommate my thoughts on the whole situation. His response, apalling.

He said, "Maybe they think we owe it to them to not complain and just let them have their network and let them do whatever the hell they want with it."

Kiss my dick.

First and foremost, I don't feel like anything is owed to anyone in this country. If the black community feels like the white community owes it to them because of Slavery and the treatment of black's in the early 1900's through the 60's then they are shit out of luck of getting an apology out of me.

Slavery was long ago, and I was not directly involved. Hell, neither was my entire fucking generation white or black. Why would I owe anything to you unless I borrowed something from you.

Now, I am not saying that's how BET see's it. I am stating that its a scenario that my roommate came up with. If that scenario were to play out in front of me, then that's how I would handle it.

Of course, that's just my opinion. I could be wrong.

Ask me 5 questions.

Any five - no matter how personal, private, or random.

I have to answer them honestly.
I have to answer them all.

In turn, you post this message in your own journal & you have to answer the questions that are asked to you.

I would like to thank Ghost House Productions for wasting about an hour and 45 minutes of my time tonight.

No, really, I appreciate it.

What, you may be thinking to yourself, would make him say that?

Well, I saw the movie Boogeyman tonight. Yeah, I know it came out weeks ago, but I didn't really have a chance to see it until now. And, even still, it was a waste.

If you haven't gotten a chance to see it, do yourself a favor and don't. It's the least you can do for yourself.

And, listen to this one, I actually chose to see that movie. HAH! What a fucking riot that is. It's very rare that I say, "Hey let's see a movie," and it turn out to be a complete bust. The last time I did that, I was watching Open Water. That's another story in itself.

I need to do something with my life ... soon. I know I want to be a sports journalist. Actually becoming a full-time employee at the Telegram & Gazette right now is going to be tough. It's bad enough that we use fucking stringers to cover the biggest tournament before districts -- the Clark Tournament. God, that's so frustrating. There are employees in that office that are willing to cover those games, not just JT, Nordy and Rich.

Sometimes I feel like I am invisible in that office. Sure, I just completed a month were I was the college columnist, but that's been the major spotlight of my "career" so far. That, and writing P-Notes for the Baltimore game. At that, Vinatieri was misspelled and my lead was lopped off. I feel like I tell Greenslit often enough that I am willing to fill in AT ANYTIME that we need anything, but it seems like he just doesn't get it.

While I was doing the schedules for the winter season, Rich had mentioned that he was overwhelmed with doing all the writing. I told him that I would have been willing to help had someone asked. He said he was going to keep that in mind for the spring time. I don't know if that means that I am going to help him write all of the previews for the spring or what. I hope that is the case. I think that would be awesome.

This is a crash course entry. I am the late guy at work and the last NBA game has about 5 minutes left in it.

Hmmm. Wow, yeah there's a lot to say. Just not in here.

The only things worthy of putting in here are the following; My cousin came from Spain. I took her and her husband to an IceCats game the second night they were here and I took them to a Celtics game this past Wednesday. I was supposed to take them to the airport earlier today, but, that didn't happen.

I am uber-pissed off at my mother. Like to the point where I wanted to smack the shit out of her this morning. In fact, I still do.

Wednesday night was my FIRST Celtics game ... EVER. It was awesome. They played the Clippers. I didn't think I was that much of a Corey Maggette fan until that night. The C's came back from a 19-point deficit no thanks to a few clutch 3s by GP, Raef and PP. My throat was sore after cause I was screaming so much. However, not as sore as it was for the "Snow Bowl."

My sister is back from Florida and safe as can be, thank God.

I saw the pictures she took from down there. They are awesome. My dad's neck was swollen after the surgery, but it went down considerably the days following. It was nice to see pics of family from down there.

Aside from all of that, there is some fucked up shit going on in my life. You can try to talk to me about it, doesn't mean you'll be successful about it.

AND, I'M SPENT.

Super Bowl XXXIX live from Jacksonville, Fla. The Defending Champion New England Patriots against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Pre Game and First Quarter

6:00 – WOW, Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas is AWESOME. She’s so hott Okay, I have to stop drooling now.

6:33 – Whatever little fuck head that did the coin toss, DIDN’T FLIP THE COIN. Harrison called Heads and the kid threw it up flat and it landed tails. Good lord.

6:54 – Commercial for a movie with Vin Diesel as “The Pacifier.” No, its not a peace-making law officer. It has a bunch of kids in it.

7:00 – Bigdaddy.com commercial with a lady with big tits. Website down – overloaded.

7:05 – Worried about the drive the Eagles are putting together.

7:09 – Bigdaddy.com still overloaded.

7:10 – 3:34 left in the first quarter and I am pissed about the bad call on Roman Phifer. On top of that, Asasnte Samuel intercepted the pass to Terrell Owens by Donovan McNabb but because of the stupid penalty that is overturned.

7:12 – RODNEY HARRISON INTERCEPTION. Word, bitch.

7:14 – Pats got nothing going offensively.

7:20 – After good field position, Rodney Harrison knocks McNabb out of bounds after no gain.

7:21 – Randall Gay strips L.J. Smith of the football, and recovers. Patriots’ football.

Second Quarter

7:25 – Tom Brady sacked. The Patriots look horrendous on offense. They are 0 for 4 on Third-Down Conversions.

7:26 – Josh Miller, 4 punts 46-yard average. Two punts inside the 20.

7:33 – Donovan McNabb connects with L.J. Smith – Touchdown Philadelphia. David Akers extra point is good. 7-0, Eagles.

7:38 – Commercial for Be Cool, the movie. I’ve been seeing a commercial on TNT as well. Something I think I might want to see.

7:41 – Charlie Weis must have just realized that he has a bonus waiting for him for a Super Bowl W. The offense is cooking now. Three first down’s in one possession, including two by Corey Dillon on back-to-back screen passes to the left on back-to-back first down’s.

7:45 – 25-yard pick up by Dillon after reversing his field. This guy has some tremendous vision.

7:47 – Brady fumbles the damn football and they give it to the Eagles as Darren Walker walks out of the pile with the ball. So much for this drive.

This brings up the question ... should the NFL implement the College Football rule JUST on fumbles – fall on it and you're down? Brady fell on it, and when he rolled to his back the Eagles player jumped down and, in the scrum, came out with it. Because of that they give it to the Eagles? Doesn’t the player have to at least touch Brady as he’s falling on him?

The officials were bribed. I am convinced.

8:00 – TOUCHDOWN PATRIOTS! Tom Brady 4-yard TD pass to David Givens, Adam Vinatieri with the Extra Point. TIED, 7-7.

8:10 – Halftime, tied, 7-7. Really not looking forward to Paul McCartney performance. They should show that Bigdaddy.com commercial again and just leave it on loop (but mute it) for the entire time.

By the way, McCartney is the only performer, and there is nobody cheering for him. Not even the people that are PAID to look interested. “Live and Let Die” didn’t even get a good response. Good lord. The NFL needs to figure something out regarding this Halftime Show at the Super Bowl.

Some noteworthy stats at the half:

New England Patriots – Tom Brady: 13-17, 107 yards, 1 touchdown; Dillon: 6 rushes-45 yards, 3 catches-31 yards; Deion Branch: 5 catches-38 yards; Givens: 3 catches-19 yards, 1 touchdown; Harrison: 5 tackles-1 sack, 1 interception; Gay 4 tackles, 1 forced fumble.

Philadelphia Eagles – Donovan McNabb 12-22, 168 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception; Todd Pinkston: 4 catches-82 yards; L.J. Smith: 3 catches-23 yards, 1 touchdown; Brian Westbrook: 10 rushes-36 yards, 2 catches-17 yards; Michael Lewis 4 tackles.

Third Quarter

8:40 – Bad news to start the third quarter, Eugene Wilson is out for the rest of the game with a broken arm. Last year, the Patriots lost Rodney Harrison with the same injury around the same time of the game.

8:49 – TOUCHDOWN PATRIOTS. A 9-play, 69-yard drive culminates in 3 minutes, 56 seconds as Brady connects with “tight end” Mike Vrabel from 2 yards out. New England leads, 14-7, after the PAT by Vinatieri.

This looks like the beginning of a tradition. Last year, Vrabel caught a touchdown when the Patriots where in a goal line situation. I won’t oppose this.

9:07 – 10-yard swing pass from McNabb to Westbrook – Touchdown Eagles. Game tied, 14-14.

Fourth Quarter

9:24 – The Patriots are in more of a groove offensively. A screen pass to Kevin Faulk just went for 14 yards to the Eagles 2.

The screen pass is killing the Eagles. They are guessing what the Patriots are doing – run or pass – and they are getting it wrong for the most part.

9:25 – TOUCHDOWN PATRIOTS. 2-yard run by Dillon. 9 plays, 66 yards in 4:51 to retake a seven-point lead, 21-14.

9:29 – On second-and-2 the Patriots’ Roosevelt Colvin stuffed Westbrook for a 6-yard loss. One of the biggest defensive series all game long for the Patriots, leading to a 3-and-out.

After the punt, the Patriots have it first-and-10 from the Eagles 47 with 12:29 left.

9:35 – Deion Branch’s 11th catch is a phenomenal one, extended hands over the middle and a 19-yard pick up. Dillon followed it up with a 7-yard gain. 11 catches ties Jerry Rice for a Super Bowl record. Branch has racked up 133 yards with those catches.

9:41 – Patriots take a 10-point lead with a 22-yard field goal by Vinatieri. The score, Pats 24, Eagles 10 with 8:40 left.

9:45 – Tedy Bruschi intercepts Donovan McNabb with 7:20 left to go in the game pass intended for L.J. Smith thrown horribly. Pats take over at their own 24.

10:00 – 2-minute warning. Sure, the Eagles are driving and looking to score a TD as they are in Patriots territory, but I am not worried. Frustrated with how the game was played, sure. Worried, no. Go figure. Maybe I am starting to take this for granted. Who knows? But I do know this, New England is this much closer to winning their third Super Bowl in four years. Can you say, Dynasty?

10:03 – Donovan McNabb touchdown pass to Greg Lewis beating man-to-man defender Dexter Reed for Philadelphia. Akers makes it a three-point game, 24-21, with 1:48 left.
You have to think you go for an onside kick if you are the Eagles, right?

10:06 – Christian Fauria recovers the onside kick for the Patriots. First-and-10 with 1:48 left.

10:09 – Eagles burn their last time out. Third-and-5 for the Pats with 1:39 to go.

10:13 – Patriots’ punter Josh Miller has had a great night tonight. Eagles possession is at their own FOUR YARD LINE with 46 seconds left.

10:15 – HARRISON PICKS OFF MCNABB WITH 9 SECONDS LEFT. The Patriots are BACK-TO-BACK WORLD CHAMPIONS after Brady’s knee.

Harrison should be Super Bowl XXXIX MVP. I don’t care what anyone says.

Bill Belichik is a genius. He’s 10-1 in the post season and owns three championships. Of the three championships, all of them have been by three points. He now has 7 wins of seven points or less in the postseason.

Hats off to Terrell Owens. The man had 9 catches for 122 yards on a bum ankle. Damn.

Some game stats:

New England Patriots — Brady 23-33, 236 yards, 2 touchdowns; Branch 11 catches-133 yards; Gay 11 tackles; Harrison 7 tackles, 2 interceptions; Bruschi 6 tackles, 1 interception; Vinatieri 1 for 1 field goals, 3 for 3 PATs.

Deion Branch was named Super Bowl XXXIX MVP. That’s fine. He had a helluva game.

That’s about it. I don’t think I will be writing more on the Super Bowl. Well, Super Bowl XXXIX anyways. Next year, Super Bowl XL from Ford Field in Detroit, Mich., the year after is Super Bowl XLI from Dolphins Stadium in Miami, and then Super Bowl XLII from Cardinals Stadium in Tempe, Ariz.

Until then, if I am still alive then, no more Super Bowl talk for me.

I will have a Super Bowl Blog ....

Kinda like Bill Simmons only not as in depth. Look for it shortly after or the day after.

BYE

Wow, so yeah. Tons of shit to update on. I don't know if I can get to it all. I am not really that sleepy at the moment (2:41 a.m.), but I could grow more sleepy as the post goes on.

Here's hoping this is coherent and with a minimal amount of mistakes.

Wow, where to start.

Umm, yeah.

Oh, okay. Let's start here.

Since the Patriots have been in the playoffs, our usual college columnist, Jen Toland, has been busy covering the Pats. So, since she is covering the Pats, I have been given the opportunity to cover for her in writing the college notes column for the past three weeks. So, yeah. An average of 40 inches per column with my ugly mug attached to it.

My most recent one, published Wednesday, was on Brian Meehan. I feel like it is my best one yet.

Next week I am writing it on Ryan McCarthy. Yes, that Ryan McCarthy. Yes, Tim's brother.

I am going to use this opportunity to get him the print he didn't get in high school and certainly does deserve in college. I am going to talk to him and his coach on Monday night/Tuesday morning and see how things go from there. Should be an easy 25-inch feature.

Also, even though I've been way too busy to be working on it as of yet, I am working on a Feature for Rusty at FSC on Coach Dean Fuller of the hockey team that is going to be published in the Alumni Magazine there at FSC. I am charging Rusty a #11 hockey jersey =). Even if I don't get it, though I wish I would, its fine.

Last night was tough for me at work. I am not going to get into any major detail of it here. If you want to know call me. Though, I should warn you -- you'll probably be on the phone a long time because its kind of long-winded.

My dad had to have surgery on both of his carotid arteries. Apparently his left carotid artery was blocked 95 percent and his right one was blocked 75 percent. They operated and unclogged his left carotid with ease, but are letting him recouperate a bit before operating on the right one. My sister is down there right now with him -- big belly and all.

I am really upset at my brother right now.

I called him last Friday cause it was my neice's birthday and I was hoping to talk to her. Well, apparently he wasn't home from the office yet so he gave me his home number. Before we hung up, though, he said that no matter what he was going to call me back in an hour. That never happend. When I called the house number he gave me nobody answered and there was neither a voicemail activated nor an answering machine. I was uber pissed off cause I couldn't talk to my goddamned neice on her fucking birthday. He was a real deuche bag. UGH.

Well, that's it for now. I will be posting my rant. Just listen to what I am up to now.

AND, I'M SPENT.

Okay, so with the regular season that he's had, people are actually saying that Peyton Manning deserves to be a hall of famer.

That is a liar, liar pants on fire situation.

The man cannot win when it counts. Put him up against the Patriots and he chokes almost as bad as the New York Yankees did against the Boston Red Sox in the American League Championship Series.

Sure, you could try making that fake argument of football being a team sport. He couldn't handle the defense in the AFC Championship game last year in Foxboro, and the defense, namely Willie McGinnest, came up huge in Indianapolis at the RCA Dome in the regular season stopping Edggerin James on fourth-and-goal from the 1.

In my book, you aren't deserving of the Hall of Fame just because of your numbers. You need to actually do something with your career. Like, say, win a conference championship, win a Super Bowl, get a Super Bowl MVP. Shit like that.

Boomer Esiason, former quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals and New York Jets, said on the Budweiser Hot Seat on SportsCenter that Tom Brady doesn't deserve to be in the Hall of Fame because of his numbers.

Oh, yeah, Boomer? How about this for a number; Super Bowls Won: Tom Brady 2, You 0. Let's try one more; Super Bowl MVPs won: Tom Brady 2, You 0. And yet one more; AFC Championships won: Tom Brady 2, You 1. It's a damned shame Joe Montana and the San Francisco 49ers took it to you in Super Bowl 23, huh?

Its not just the fact that he said what he said that bothers me. But the follow up question by Dan Patrick was "Out of the eight quarterbacks remaining in the playoffs, who would you pick to lead your team if you needed to win a big game?" The fucking bozo answers Tom Brady because of the Super Bowl wins and the Super Bowl MVPs.

Make up your mind you flip-flopper. Is he good, or isn't he?

But, enough about that.

I was looking through my past bylines, and if I do say so myself, I have racked them up. Last year, I had 18 bylines, 3 of them making it onto D1. Those three easily cancel out the three with typos in them. This year, already I have two bylines, with my most recent one making D1. AWESOME. My roomie Joe says its because they like me. Could be. You never know, though.

My last story (Fitchburg State-Worcester State Women's Basketball), I guess I wrote close to 20 inches. They musta loved it enough to use all of it, right?

I am looking forward to January 22 to see Rick and the boys of Risk of Reality at the Lucky Dog here in Worcester. Should be a bad ass show.

I think I am starting to feel better, though my stomach is still sensitive to many foods. We'll see how that will work itself out over the next few days. HOPEFULLY.

I am scheduled to be a call-taker on Friday with Mario of all people. This is going to be a helluva night. I miss Friday night's of High School basketball. Its going to be fun to JUST be a call-taker that night Mario or not. Its such a rush.

That's about it, really.

AND, I'M SPENT.